The Last Mission Of The Seventh Cavalry. Charley Brindley

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      “A hundred yards up, on the left.”

      “Don’t let them strip him before I get there.”

      “You got it, Sarge.”

      A few minutes later, the others watched Sarge pull the belt off the dead man.  He examined it, then passed it to Joaquin.

      “It has to be the captain’s belt,” Joaquin said.

      “Do you think they’re holding him captive?” Kady asked.

      Alexander stared at the belt for a moment. “I have no idea.”

      “We need the Apache,” Joaquin said.

      “And Liada,” Kady Sharakova said.

      “Hey, Eaglemoon,” Alexander said on the comm. “Where are you?”

      No answer.

      “She must have her helmet off,” Lojab said.

      “They put Kawalski in Cateri’s wagon,” Lori said, “and took him to the main camp, by the river.”

      Alexander looked around, watching the women and children strip the dead bandits of their clothing. “Let’s get out of here before they start on us.”

* * * * *

      At the main camp, Alexander counted heads and found everyone present.

      “Don’t wander off, people. Let’s stick together until we find out what’s going to happen.”

      He walked into the shade of a tree and sat next to Kawalski, who was wrapped in a Mylar thermo blanket. Autumn was there, kneeling beside the unconscious Kawalski, checking his blood pressure. Liada and Tin Tin Ban Sunia knelt beside her, watching everything she did.

      Lojab took a pack of Marlboros from his inside jacket pocket and slouched against a tree as he lit up. He exhaled smoke from his nose as he watched the people around Kawalski.

      “What do you think, Eaglemoon?” Alexander pulled off his helmet and rubbed a hand over his buzzcut.

      She took the stethoscope from her ears and handed it to Liada. “He lost a lot of blood, and the wound is deep. We cleaned it and stitched it up, and I gave him a shot of morphine.”

      Liada placed the stethoscope earpieces in her ears as she’d seen Autumn do, then she opened the blanket and slipped the endpiece inside Kawalski’s unbuttoned shirt. Her eyes widened at the sound of his heartbeat. Autumn had become accustomed to using her hands as she talked, for the benefit of Liada and Tin Tin. Both women seemed to be able to follow the conversation, at least to some extent.

      “His blood pressure is good, and his pulse is normal.” Autumn was quiet for a moment as she watched Tin Tin try the stethoscope. “I don’t think any of his organs were damaged. It looks like the sword went under the edge of his flak jacket and pierced him all the way through, just above the hip bone.”

      “You’ve done all you can do for him,” Alexander said. “Probably when the morphine wears off, he’ll wake up.” He handed the web belt to Autumn. “We need Liada’s help with this.”

      “Whose is it?”

      “We took it off a dead buffalo dog.” Alexander watched her as she puzzled it out.

      “Oh, my God! The captain.”

      “They could be holding him prisoner, or–”

      “Liada,” Autumn said.

      Liada looked at her.

      “This belt,” she handed it to Liada, “is like mine.” Autumn showed her the one around her waist. “And Kawalski.” She pointed to Kawalski. “And Sarge.”

      Alexander showed her his belt.

      “But this one, our man is lost.”

      “Lost?” Liada asked.

      “Yes,” Autumn said. “Our man, like Rocrainium.”

      Tin Tin removed the stethoscope from her ears. “Rocrainium?”

      Alexander looked around at his troops. “Spiros, give us some help with Tin Tin.”

      Private Zorba Spiros knelt beside Autumn. “What’s up?”

      “I’m trying to tell her about Captain Sanders being an officer like Rocrainium.”

      Spiros spoke to Tin Tin in his broken Greek. She took the belt from Liada.

      “You man Rocrainium?” Tin Tin asked Autumn.

      “Yes.”

      “He lost to you?”

      Autumn nodded.

      “Belt come where?”

      “One of the bandits had the belt from our Rocrainium.”

      She tried to use hand signs and motions to indicate the battle and dead bandits. Spiros helped as best he could.

      “Vocontii,” Tin Tin said to Liada, then something else.

      Liada agreed. “Vocontii.”

      Tin Tin and Liada talked for a minute.

      “Um, that bandits there…” Liada tried to sign what she wanted to say.

      “The bandits are Vocontii?” Autumn asked.

      “Yes, yes,” Liada and Tin Tin said together. “Vocontii.”

      Autumn watched the two women as they talked something over.

      “Autumn wait by Kawalski,” Liada said as she and Tin Tin stood.

      “All right.”

      Tin Tin handed the stethoscope to Autumn, then the two of them ran toward the other side of the encampment.

      “Autumn,” Alexander said, “from what I’ve seen of those…what are they called?”

      “Vocontii.”

      “From what I’ve seen of them, I don’t think we should hold out a lot of hope of finding Captain Sanders alive.”

      “You won’t leave him behind, will you, Sarge?” She reached to touch his arm. “Even if there’s the slightest hope.”

      “Leave him,” Lojab said. “He can take care of himself.” He spat in the dirt. “We need to get the hell out of here.”

      “No.” Alexander glared at Lojab for a moment, then looked at Autumn. “I would never leave anyone behind, just as the captain wouldn’t leave us. But these Vocontii are so primitive and brutal, I can’t see them having any reason to keep him alive. If they were holding him for ransom…” He looked over Autumn’s shoulder, then pointed that way.

      “Oh, no,” Autumn said. “It’s Rocrainium.” She СКАЧАТЬ